History And Justice In Pakistan

November 20, 1999

On July 5, 1977, the Pakistani military staged a coup, overthrowing the elected Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. But evicting a civilian government was not enough for the new ruler, Gen. Zia ul-Haq. The following spring, he put his predecessor on trial for allegedly conspiring in the murder of a political rival. Bhutto was convicted, and on April 4, 1979, the Pakistani government shocked the world by hanging the country's former leader.

Much of Pakistan's political history has been written in blood. And now, the nation may be about to add a gruesome new chapter. After yet another coup, carried out by Army chief Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the military is back in power. Ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been charged with treason for supposedly plotting to kill the general by preventing his airplane from landing in Karachi on his return from an official trip to Sri Lanka. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

The truth of the charge is impossible to evaluate at the moment. Sharif, who has been under house arrest since the Oct. 12 coup, has not been allowed to speak to journalists or foreign visitors. The Pakistani military has yet to provide evidence for its accusations.

But even if the worst is proven, it would be a horrible mistake for the new government to put Sharif to death. By executing Bhutto, Zia eliminated a rival but created a martyr. The revulsion at the hanging provided a basis for the rise to power of Bhutto's daughter Benazir, who was elected prime minister in 1988. That election came just months after Zia himself died in a plane crash that was widely blamed on sabotage--himself perhaps a victim of the cycle of violence that he did so much to perpetuate.

Musharraf should learn from this unhappy history. Sharif deserves a fair and open trial, with ample means to defend himself. If he is justly convicted, the government should be content to let him live out his life behind bars. Nothing would be gained by executing a man who was chosen by a democratic vote to lead the country--except to demonstrate that in Pakistan, politics is not a peaceful means of resolving differences but a savage fight to the death.

Executing Sharif would cause embitterment among many ordinary Pakistanis. It would also make the new government a world outcast. Musharraf has admitted he was surprised at the "mild" response to his coup in other countries. If he puts Sharif to death, the reaction at home and abroad will be anything but mild.